It's time to play which airline has the best and worst flights to Europe so far this Summer!
 

This will be a good update from those of us who have traveled so far to those of you who are planning!

Just returned from a round trip to Zurich with Delta... both flights left on time, movies were good, food going over was terrible, and food on the return was very good. Saw a lot of teed-off Lufthansa customers in Zurich when their pilots decided to take the day off. <BR>

I know people will disagree but... <BR> <BR>Thumbs up - LUFTHANSA from Los Angeles to Frankfurt. The flight attendants were friendly than usual, the food was better than usual (but not great), arrivals were on-time and no one yelled at me! My inter-Europe connections were also OK, but the food was horrible. Lufthansa is also very efficient in boarding the aircraft. I hate to brag (brag brag) but I have Star Alliance Gold status and Lufthansa's treatment of me was nothing but respectful offering quick check in and complimentary use of lounges (even though I was book in coach class). This is great since I acquired that status on United. <BR> <BR>Thumbs down - UNITED. Sorry. I am a dedicated Frequent Flyer and usually like United flights. My flight from Munich to Washington DC was disorganized and the food was gross. I think they are using Lufthansa chefs. Actually, in case you didn't know, United uses "Skychefs" in the USA and Europe which is owned by Lufthansa. The United flight was comfortable thanks to that extra leg room in Economy Plus but the flight attendant had a little too much attitude. The videos weren't working well and the flight attandant told me to write a letter because complaining to her had little effect since she was one of the "little people". A lot of good that did me on a 9 hr flight! I had a connection from Washington to Los Angeles which was on a 747 and was lucky enough to snag a seat in the upper deck in business class as an upgrade. Nice end to a long trip!

Bill just reminded me of that day off the pilots have been taking on Lufthansa. Don't blame the airline, blame the pilots. i think they want a 35% pay increase. Hell. I only got 3% last year! They are being unreasonable. I think they are only shooting themselves in the foot. <BR> <BR>Be careful of flying Lufthansa on Thursdays this summer until this thing is settled.

British Airways has always been the best for me. And Continental has always been the worst...except for Tarom - Romanian Air Transport. <BR> <BR>BA flights seem to always be half empty and there's plenty of room to stretch out on the middle row of 4 seats or so and have a good rest. And there's always a fresh supply BREWED hot tea served with a smile. The food is good and there's actually a little pampering going on by flight attendants who actually seem to like their job! <BR> <BR>Continental has to be one of the most profitable airlines around. They're crammmed packed full of people with no place to stretch out, the flight attendants give the overall impression that they were fooled into this job with promises of a glamouous career and seem resentful that they've somehow, in their oppinion, become nothing more than flying waitresses. The tea is just a cup of warm water with a do it yourself tea bag. And the food always seems like somebody went bargain shopping. <BR> <BR>And finally, Tarom. If you can imagine the stinch of 250 Romanians, who have been traveling all day, all taking their shoes off at the same time, you can pretty well guess what 8 hours in a Tarom Airbus feels like. <BR> <BR>I even got a lecture on Freedom by a fellow passenger. <BR> <BR>"You are American? YOU are NOT FREE." He said as he lit up a Marboro after takeoff. "In Romania, WE are FREE. You cannot even SMOKE in YOUR country!" <BR> <BR>And then the cabin began to fill up with smoke which was actually a welcome relief considering all the bear feet. <BR> <BR>And there was not sleep to be had because if there's one thing a Romanian know how to do, it's push the Flight Attendant button. So it was Ding, Ding, Ding...all the way across the Atlantic. <BR> <BR>But to give them credit, the BA or Continintal flight attendants would have committed mass murder had everyone started pushing the FA buttons...but for the TAROM FA's it just another day at work. <BR> <BR>And to be honest, I did join in the Dinging and it was kind of nice to be waiting on hand and foot without having to get up. <BR> <BR>Oh...and the food...it was excellent. The food kind of made up for the smelly cabin. <BR> <BR>And there was one other little bothersome detail...TAROM kind of figures as long as they get you there, you really don't need to know about where their gonna stop at in between. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Thanks Bill! Great report! Great sense of humor too.

We flew American Airlines from Chicago to London this spring. It was surprisingly pleasant. Both flights left on time and arrived early. Flight attendants were courteous and the food was tolerable for airline food. But, by far, the biggest difference was the extra 2 inches of legroom between the seats. I didn't think 2 inches would make such an impact!! It was especially roomy (for coach) on the 777. What impresses me the most is that American has done this throughout coach and has not limited it to only a few rows for their frequent flyers. There is a thread regarding American on the airlines section.

In the last decade I've always flown Continental from Houston to wherever I was going in Europe--London, Frankfurt, Paris. This year, however, I could not use my FF points on Continental and had to use them on Northwest if I was to go at all (for free). I'd read so much awful stuff about NW that I was dreading it. <BR> <BR>I was pleasantly surprised! The food was the best I've had on any airline in 20 years. The liquor was free in coach. The flight attendants were pleasant. All went well...we did the Houston-Detroit-Frankfurt route, and return. <BR>There were only two drawbacks. NW planes seem a bit older and on the way back from Europe, the bathrooms weren't working very well. The attendants did keep getting them back into working order and were even pleasant about doing so. Also, the flights left a bit late (90 minutes), but we did make up time. All in all, I would be fine with taking NW again. (And they even settled their strike before we flew.)

I've flown to Europe from various East Coast locations 24 times over the past 10 years. I've flown all of the major international airlines: BA, Virgin, United, Continental, Northwest, Lufthansa, American, Pan Am, etc. And I've flown each more than once. The only trend I've been able to discover is that no airline consistently delivers a good or bad flight. I have good things to say about each airline, and bad experiences with them all. It's hit or miss, so I simply go for the lowest fare. <BR> <BR>By the way, it's not summer yet.

Just got back from Boston-Zurich-Prague, Vienna-Zurich-Boston flights on Swissair-----a truly bad experience and we had had high hopes for the well run Swiss!! Plane was an airbus which gave new meaning to the word cramped---I swear the seats were the narrowest we have ever experienced and the leg room non-existent. The food on Boston-Zurich leg was inedible------and I am not a picky eater at all. The meal was cold, chicken sort of grisly--ugh!! <BR> <BR>On the return trans-Atlantic leg we requested emergency row seats and were told yes ----unfortunately, when we got to them they were in the row behind. Don't know if it was human error or what but our brief hope of leg room was dashed. Went for the pasta dish on the way back and it was okay. <BR> <BR>Ironically, the short hops from Zurich to Prague and Vienna to Zurich were far better----very roomy leather seats, leg room and decent sandwiches. Staff (except for the one who messed up on the emergency row seats) were uniformly professional and courteous. Flights were on time except for the return trans-Atlantic which was delayed for two very long hours. During the delay, no info was provided at the gate where many of us were waiting since we had come in on connecting flights. All in all I'd give Swissair a C-.

I've flown transatlantic on Delta, Aer Lingus, US Airways and British Airways. Delta I would rather not fly again, but would if the price was right. Aer Lingus was small, a bit shabby, but really nice crew. As I've said on another thread about problems with airlines, BA screwed up royally (no pun intended) on one flight, but I'm a FF with them and have taken several trips that were wonderful. They seem to arrive on time even when they depart late, the food is edible and, even if you don't like what they've served, you can count on them returning pretty quickly with ice cream, juice, etc. shortly. Also, I took US Airways Philly to Gatwick last September (because of a great deal) and I was VERY happy with the 330 airbus. It was new, had plenty of legroom, great entertainment system, decent food. I would fly a US Airways 330 again (though their stewards left much to be desired--luckily I didn't make any requests, but woe to those who did!) I will give Virgin a try in the near future because I've read so many positive things about them.

american ord to lhr was an hour late because they piddled on the ground in ord. return flt had to be the lasiest crew i have ever seen. they served the worst meal i have had in over 70 crossings and then went nite nite. had to go to the galley for water all day. that crew should be fired, but they probably will be striking soon.

Flew Icelandair in March and April. These were my first flights with them and they will be my first choice from now on. Very good food (as good as NWA, which I fly all the time because I'm based in MSP), and newer aircraft (again, compared to what I usually end up on with NWA). Nice crew, very helpful.

Virgin Atlantic to England is the winner. Great in flight food with a Bailey's or brandy afterward & you get a remote control at your seat and an individual viewing screen next to your chair. You can watch any of 4 movies playing at any given time, play video games or listen to music. Also, if you know Brits, you know they're good about their drinks. If you can fly 'em, I would-I'm looking for an excuse to fly them again myself.

I am with Kevin on this one. I have flown about 6 different airlines and made at least 18 flights to Europe and it really depends on the luck of the draw. Which day--which crew--the weather. I really cannot tell much difference--it is always an endurance contest for me.

Flew from BWI to Shannon recently on Aer Lingus. Won't ever do it again, if I can help it. <BR> <BR>Seats more cramped than on most domestic flights I've been on. Food tolerable, although by the time the attendants reached our seats, they were out of one of the two dinner choices. This happened coming and going. (And we were in the middle of the plane, not the last to be served. Seems they could plan these things a little better.) <BR> <BR>Overall, the service was lousy. Attendants were unpleasant and unhelpful. After dinner was served, they all disappeared for hours. No one came around with beverages -- we were told we could help ourselves to (warm) drinks that were stacked on an empty seat next to the lavatory.So much for drinking lots of fluids to avoid jet lag.

This is from last year. But flew to Europe twice, once on BA, once on Iberia. BA was excellent both ways, very attentive and courteous, good food, etc. Iberia was a lot better than I hoped for after reading all the comments. Food OK, leg room acceptable, cabin crew professional and courteous if not friendly. I usually fly NWA to asia, always had good service.

I agree with Bob the Navigator. It's always an endurance thing, especially if you fly coach and it's roulette whether your flight is wonderful or not. Recently my Lufthansa plane was dirty and the food was awful. Everything in the plane shook the entire flight. Like riding in an old car. I haven't had problems with Aer Lingus except for the usual cattle car experience. One should always remember US to Europe has tail winds which make up a lot of time. My last two flights from US to Ireland arrived 1 1/2 hours early!!! Both left on time from US.

On our "non-stop" flight via American AL <BR>last October from Paris to Los Angeles, we made an unscheduled servicing stop in Salt Lake City. Every toilet on the plane wasn't working! Told that the holding tanks were full.

xxx

Virgin - every time.

As long as you're in "Sardine Class" (a/k/a 'economy'), there's not a significant difference among airlines. I've found my best experiences are when the plane is less than full, the flight attendants are in a good mood --- essentially Bob & Kevin have captured the reality. Aren't any consistently good airlines, rather most have their bad days & better days. <BR> <BR>Recently flew to Italy using American frequent flyer miles on their code-share partners. Went over on Sabena Airlines & came back on Swissair. Best I can say about each of those carriers is that you did get a chocolate (Belgian on Sabena & Swiss on SwissAir) --- and those Airbus planes (SwissAir flight) are quite cozy. You'd think the carriers would figure out that cramming folks in is probably a factor in escalating air rage (and that's another thread topic altogether). <BR> <BR>Bottom line --- just take the cheapest fare & bring along your zen attitude to survive the flight. <BR>

I'm surprised noone has mentioned SAS. I flew them coach on a 10 hour flight with not one empty seat in coach. But the crew couldn't have been nicer, went up and down the aisles once an hour with drinks etc. Ran on time and a good value.

Hey Big Bill- When was the last time you flew Continental? Your expereince is the exact opposite of everything I've had in the last five or six years. The crews have been universally terrific, and seem quite happy with their jobs. Coach is coach, but CO's seemed a bit better than most - more comfortable seats, video at each seat. When I was able to upgrade to BusinessFirst - tremendous! They've really done their homework about what makes a great flight over the pond. Not the stiffly formal, "let's pretend we're not in an airplane" service I've had on other carriers, but world class food and impeccably friendly but not cloying service. <BR>So, I'll respectfully but heartily disagree with your evaluaiton of Continental. They've become my carrier of choice to Europe - and that's just on service, not even considering that they usually have the best fares, too!

Because of where we live, it is usually more convenient to fly United, although their service has not always been great. However, when they were still partner airlines, we flew on Air France to Paris from San Francisco. Great flight, wonderful service from the cabin crew, and very good food. In particular, I couldn't believe how the cabin crew went out of their way to be helpful to everyone, finding seats, stowing luggage, even in coach. On the way back, we flew Air France to New York. Again, we marveled at the same great service that was provided. In New York, we had to change back to United. After we took our seats, I commented to my wife, "Well, there goes the great service." About that time, an older gentleman took the seat in front of us. When one of the cabin crew came by he asked, "Could I please have a magazine?" She gave him a cold stare and said, "They're in the bin in the front of the plane, and you can get one after the plane takes off." My wife and I couldn't stop laughing when I said "Welcome to the friendly skies of United."

Topping

Virgin business class

we flew alitalia in march. after i booked, i read & heard horror stories. the good news was we had no problems as far as delays and safety, they even gave my son a little kid-friendly activity kit both ways. bad news, to get a human being on the phone borders impossible. the food was the worst (not edible at all going, tolerable returning). also the seats are jammed in there, not much room for legs.

Just completed LAX to London roundtrip on Air New Zealand, flight starts in Auckland,and London and stops in LAX. Great experience once airborne, groundstaff could learn from cabin crew. Food with the usual, but pleasant attitudes and neither flight was more than 3/4 full. The BA London to Lisbon, was one of the worst cattle car flight ever, at least it was only 2.5 hours long, I'll avoid BA if possible.

to the top

British Airways- Pleasant, efficient, food almost as good as Air France's and they are constantly serving water to you all night long. Guess I'll have to forgive them for shutting the door in our faces when we were one minute late to connect in London due to their plane from Paris being delayed.[They knew that we were in the terminal running as fast as possible].

British Airways gets a thumbs up from our family! We flew them for the first time in May from LAX to LHR and were upgraded from World Traveller Plus to Business Class. It was a complete surprise, we hadn't said anything to anyone at the check in desk about upgrades, and at the gate they called our name to come to the desk and basically apologized for having to change our seating. What was most surprising was that they had no qualms about upgrading a family with a 3 year old. Everything about that flight was great; service, food, seat that turns into a bed, etc. On the flight back we didn't get an upgrade and sat in our Plus seats. One negative was that the armrests in Plus class don't lift up so you can't take advantage of an empty seat next to you to spread out. We will definitely fly BA again!

We also had a positive experience with BA. Good food, helpful attendants, exit row or bulkhead the whole way. We left Charlotte a bit late on the way over because the crew was caught in traffic going to the airport. But, we still arrived on-time in London. I definitely would fly BA again!

Just back from my trip to Europe with airfrance. The food was horrible and the flight was delayed one hour and a half. No extra leg room. first and last trip with airfrance.

I found the flight from IAD to Paris on United very good. Good service, OK food, good movies, new plane, lots of toilets, on time. What more could you want from a cheap coach flight?

Here's another thumbs up for BA. We amost missed our international flight because of weather conditions. (Our domestic flight landed 1/2 hour after the scheduled departure of our BA flight, but fortunately BA was delayed, too.) BA staff at the gate were looking for us - had known that our flight just landed. Our teenage daughter reached the gate first and was asked where the rest of the family was. (Mom and dad move a litte slower.) Unlike Daphne, we made our flight though our luggage didn't. BA hired a taxi to drive our luggage to Bath the next day. We found everyone at BA most helpful. Love BA 777.

Had a great flight on US Airways to London this summer. The airbus seemed to have extra leg room and we enjoyed the individual entertainment systems to help pass the time.

Anyone else fly Air France to Europe recently. Thanks for the relpy.

ttt

Here's another vote for USAirways Airbus 330 from PA to London. Very comfortable, the individual entertainment system was a great plus for those of us who are used to traveling in steerage with no perks. Food was plentiful, edible but not memorable. And the earphones and soft blankets came in nice clean sealed plastic bags!